Words: , 1869. He wrote these words while min­is­ter at the Ply­mouth Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church in Cleve­land, Ohio:

The Young Men’s Christ­ian As­so­ci­a­tion of Ohio met in one of our church­es with their motto in ever­green let­ters over the pul­pit: “Christ for the World, and the World for Christ.” This sug­gest­ed the hymn “Christ for the world we sing.” It was on my way home from this serv­ice in 1869, walk­ing alone through the streets, that I put to­ge­ther the four stan­zas of the hymn.

Music: Italian Hymn, , in The Col­lect­ion of Psalm and Hymn Tunes Sung at the Cha­pel of the Lock Hos­pi­tal, 1769. Al­ter­nate tunes:

  • Braun, Johann G. Braun, 1675
  • Fiat Lux, , in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1875
  • Kirby Be­don, 1887

Original photo of Samuel Wolcott from the al­bum of Rev. Sam­u­el Wil­liam South­mayd Dut­ton, D.D. (1814-1866), pas­tor of the North Church, New Ha­ven, Con­nec­ti­cut, 1838-1866. Con­trib­ut­ed by Dee­An­na Al­lum Gran­ston.

Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with loving zeal,
The poor and them that mourn, the faint and overborne,
Sin sick and sorrow worn, whom Christ doth heal.

Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with fervent prayer;
The wayward and the lost, by restless passions tossed,
Redeemed at countless cost, from dark despair.

Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with one accord;
With us the work to share, with us reproach to dare,
With us the cross to bear, for Christ our Lord.

Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring, with joyful song;
The newborn souls, whose days, reclaimed from error’s ways,
Inspired with hope and praise, to Christ belong.